Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth because germs spread this way. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.

The Bourouiba Research Group at MIT used high-speed video in 2014 to show the main components of a sneeze to study the spread of diseases. The green area is a shower of larger droplets that extend as far as 6 feet. The red area is a particle-laden cloud of smaller droplets suspended in moist warm gas.

The research has shown that the smaller droplets that carry the most pathogens will stay in the air longer and travel farther

Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, California Department of Public Health, Bourouiba Research Group

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